Author Archives: dcaligari

January 4, 1643 – …There is no disputin’, we’re all indebted to Sir Isaac Newton … Sir Isaac Newton, English physicist, mathematician, astronomer, natural philosopher, alchemist, and theologian was born on this date (or on Christmas day 1642 Old Style.) And imagine, he still had time to invent Fig Newton Cookies. And so it goes

Today’s gift count (220): you currently have 10 Leaping Lords, (the ten lords represent the Ten Commandments,) 18 Rockettes, 24 young milkmaid, 28 Swans making a racket, 30 geese a’ laying, 30 golden rings, 28 calling birds, 24 French hens, 18 turtledoves and 10 partridges in their respective pear trees. Begin thinking about fleeing theContinue reading “The Tenth Day of Christmas”

January 3, 2000 –The last daily Peanuts strip ran on this date. The comic strip, which centered around the iconic Charlie Brown, his dog Snoopy, and their friends, had been running since 1950. Almost 20,000 strips were published in total, not to mention the musicals, movies, and television specials that featured the Peanuts gang.

January 3, 1952 –The ominous, four-note introduction to the brass and tympani theme music, then the staccato voice over intoned, Ladies and gentlemen: the story you are about to hear is true. The first regularly scheduled episode of Dragnet premiered on this date (Badge 714 is the name of the syndication version of the series.)

Today is Memento Mori Day, a tradition started in ancient Rome that serves as a reminder that we will all die, one day soon. It is said that in ancient Rome, when a victorious general would return to the city for his triumph (victory parade), a slave would walk behind him, whispering in his ear:Continue reading “You’ll have time to rest when you’re dead”

January 2, 1971 –George Harrison’s All Things Must Pass, his first album released after the breakup of The Beatles, begins a seven-week run at the top of the US albums chart on this date. Harrison had Phil Spector produce the album and brought in some outstanding musicians to play on it, including Eric Clapton, BobbyContinue reading “All Things Must Pass”

January 2, 1959 –The Soviet Union launched the satellite Luna 1 on this date, the first spacecraft to reach the vicinity of the Moon. The plan for Luna 1, (containing two metallic pennants with the Soviet coat of arms to mark its presence there,) had been to conduct in-flight scientific measurements then crash into theContinue reading “Close, but no cigar”

Today’s gift count (156): you currently have Nine ladies dancing, (the nine ladies dancing represent the nine fruits of the Holy Spirit listed in Galatians 5:22. These fruits are love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control,) 16 young woman engaged in the dairy industry (and possibly their union rep. I’ve also neverContinue reading “Ninth Day of Christmas”

I don’t want to overtax your brain this morning so, here’s some stuff, you may not know – Today’s gift count (120 gifts): you currently have Eight young woman engaged in the dairy industry, 14 Swans making a racket, 18 geese a’ laying (fertilized goose eggs are going for about $82 per dozen), 20 goldenContinue reading “The Eighth Day of Christmas”

If you didn’t get your Farmer’s Almanac this year or suffer from lycanthropy, here is your guide to the Full Moons of 2022: January 22nd –The Full Wolf Moon. Amid the zero cold and deep snows of midwinter, the wolf packs howled hungrily outside Indian villages. In London, impeccably dressed werewolves are often seen onContinue reading “The Moons of 2022”